More Into the Still Blue
by FyrewoodeSky
Summary: Story after Bk "Into the Still Blue" :Warning Spoilers: This is a story for those who wished that there was another chapter after the last one. But first I am tying in a little bit of the last ten chapters. This about how Roar, Perry and Soren meet a person that owns the land that they all have just come to 'The Still Blue'. Also the story will continue after Sables Death.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Soren...**

Roar and Soren were running in full stride due to a patrol that had caught their scent.

'Stupid savage scires' Soren thought.

Scire's were starting to become the bain of Soren's existences and it seems that the only one scire he would ever trust was gone forever to the Aether they all had so happily left behind.

The dense jungle they were running in was the most random array of shapes that Soren had ever seen. He'd like to stop and find its pattern but his schedules seemed a little over whelmed at the moment. 1. Kill Sable. 2. Make sure Sable is dead. 3. Take extra precaution and separate head from body. 3. Make sure Aria is ok. 5. Make-out with Brooke

'Yeah, Number Five.' Soren thought with a sigh.

"Hey!" Roar said, 'I'll take double for whatever is making you sigh like that but we really need to pick-up the pace," Roar turn his head slightly," their gaining on us."

**Roar...**

Roar could hear their step so close that it felt like if he stopped the patrol would bump into his back. But he knew it was only his intense hearing, his focus on their impending footsteps.

Soren was focused again but unhappy thoughts showed on his face now. Thoughts like how nether of them could finally extinguish the enemy once and for all or how nether of them had one decent night of supper and sleep in months.

Now that Sable was in full control no one in the Tides would either.

Roar felt he could have prevented all this long ago. He Should've Just kill Sable long ago if only... No. Roar wouldn't play that game on himself, The 'shoulda, woulda, coulda game.' Roar couldn't think back anymore only forward. And there was definitely something to look forward to. Sable's end.

Roar smiled. Now that's a happy thought.

And he did not want to miss that by getting caught and killed.

"Roar" Soren said as his breathing was becoming hard. "You may...be accustomed to...whatever this is everyday… but... I don't know how much more I can go."

Roar could relate. Unfortunately there was no idea, no slick plan he could think of that would help even in the slightest of changing their situation.

The only thing he could think of to say was," What are you talking about? You're the bull of this group remember?"

Soren smiled at the memory which helped in a way happy thoughts only could. They gave unexpected push of stamina.

The patrol was almost on them now. They couldn't stop and shoot them because of the ever covering foliage. Roar needed a plan-any plan.

The only thing he could think of was trying to maybe suddenly turn around and run right into them. Bring the fight to them. With what little strength he had left from this chase, that plan didn't seem like a resolution it seemed like a _deresolution_**.** Wow Roar thought, these big words must be coming from too much time with Soren.

POP-POP-POP! Roar grabbed Soren and pulled him aside to the deep under growth that surrounded a large tree.

Soren's frustrated whisper, "Why are w-"

"SHH!" Roar said.

Roar closed his eyes and really focused on all the sounds that were behind them. He blocked out Soren's breathing and the rest of the sounds that were ahead of them and only focus on what was behind.

He heard a fist make contact with a jaw and then what sounded like small...taps? Then he heard a body fall to the ground, one of the men chasing them. He grasped the words, "I can't feel my leg."

Then there was more fighting. Roar could now understand that there were three different heart beats but only two patrollers had been chasing them.

Who was the third?

Then after what Roar guessed to be about 15 seconds he heard a second body fall. The third body was taking few steps and breathing very hard. The heart beat sounded like pure adrenaline. It started to breathe more deeply trying to normalize its pounding heart.

After some time it turned in a circle and then started to pick a pace jogging in their direction.

Roar put his finger to his mouth making sure Soren understood that no sound was to be made.

The steps started to slow.

And then... they faded completely.

Roar tried desperately to found the steps again but they were nowhere.

How could he loose the sound of steps that were coming closer to their position? Much less their beating heart as well?

Soren spoke "Roar I'm fallen asleep here if-" Roar clamped a hand over Sorens mouth and gave him the gesture of quite again. Then Roar removed his hand and wiped it on his jacket. This left Soren looking irritated.

All Roar heard was the jungle but no steps; he didn't know what to make of it. Then suddenly a dark figure fell from the tree above them.

Roar and Soren stood up immediately ready for anything.

The figure which was still in a crouch looked like it was wearing black cloth, leather and feathers on the sleeves.

It slowly stood to its full height which was a few inches shorter then Roar.

Roar readied himself.

Roar would seize any moment of weakness this thing would eventually show.

As the thing stood tall and started stepping closer Roar realized it wasn't a it but a she.

Her heart beat was pounding like a tribal drum that didn't seem to know how to slow down, only speed up.

He could hear the missing heartbeat he had lost before but how had it disappeared in the first place?

She took slow steps towards Roar, but Roar didn't feel danger. In her eye's he saw a deep curiosity like he'd never seen before.

Her eyes briefly traveled to Soren only making sure he didn't move and Roar hope for once that Soren could understand the fragile atmosphere and not break it.

He could tell from her heart beat she was intimidated. This meant she wouldn't be able to keep her nerve in a full assult from him. He decides to wait for her to make the first move if her intent was to indeed attack them.

She kept her eyes locked on Roar, those curious eyes. As her steps came closer to Roar, he noticed something compelling about her look.

When she stopped one foot away from his face he could see why. Her eye colors did not match. One was yellow like a wolf's eye. And the other was light brown which almost matched her skin color. He couldn't quite tell her hair color because there were different shades. He could tell some of her hair strands were white and some were black.

Her eyes traveled all around his face down to his shoulder then back up to his face.

He didn't have long to wait to wonder what she was thinking.

She lifted her hand to the side of his face. And instantly her thoughts came to him. '_-he feels real but he's face is cold so he may be a phantom'_ Then she pull her other hand up- grasping his face in both hands. Then her hand traveled to his cheek down to his chin _'His looks are so pretty like a ghost but his chin is scruffy. But his face hasn't vanished yet from my touch.' _Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

One of her finger's traced his eyebrow, _'He is real. But how did he get here? He couldn't of traveled the deep canyon, no one would dare cross into my borderland. Not yet '_ She pressed his chin down and was shocked by the appearance of his teeth. _' Mother might let him live with teeth like these. Very strong teeth'_ Her thought made Roar smile. _'Why is he smiling? Am I smiling?'_ She pulled one of her hands back down to her mouth. _'I'm not smiling.'_ She pulled her head back and then she cocked it sideways at him. This made Roar smile more.

"My." said Soren smiling, "What big teeth you have grandmother."

She only glanced at Soren, and then placed one of her hands on Roar's ear; she looked at all his features now thinking _'No. Mother would kill him. He looks haunting enough but he's too pretty; too human.'_

She sighed in disappointment.

Soren laughed, "Ok now she's thinking, 'My, what big ears you have."

The last thought he heard before she jerked her hands back was, '_It's a Dweller and an Outsider!_

She looked between them in confusion.

Roar slowly felt the cold come back onto his face.

She took a breath and tried to speak. But nothing came out.

As much as Roar enjoyed this interesting ... encounter. He needed to know where all this was getting at. Was she from this land? Do they all have...colors like her or is each native different? Form what he gathered from her thoughts about him not being intimidating enough her people must be very... creative.

Then Soren spoke, "Man what freaky eyes 'you' have!"

Roar felt the need to add to Soren's choice of conversation, "Yeah what great wormy skin you have Soren. Really, you're so white if I threw you in the air someone would shout-Hey! It's snowing!"

Roar got a smug scowl from Soren. The girl didn't laugh, just observed.

With a serious look at Soren and Roar she took a breath. She said, "All the better to see you with my dear." Her voice had hard edges from ill-use; she spoke the words in low deep tones as if her throat was scratchy.

She slowly walked away from them. Soren had a surprised look on his face and went to follow her with Roar walking close.

_'What was that all about?' _Roar thought to himself.

He'd ask Soren when he'd have the chance.

**Chapter 2**

**Roar…**

As they walked on they came to the opening of the beach. It was brighter here without the tree's coving the light that came off the white sun above, or the moon as Soren had said it, was spectacular.

But he had seen it once before, only once. Back in his homeland, his old land, when he, Perry, Arai and Cider had traveled together. When Cider had cleared the sky for only a moment.

Brave Cider…

He couldn't think about him now. Instead he focused on the task at hand, which is the stranger whose behavior has been strange thus far.

She stopped and Roar almost ran right into her. He came to the side of her and she looked up at him and then back ahead. Her heart beat was very fast but her look was calm. She was good at hiding her fear. He looked ahead at what she was looking at.

It was a body.

Roar started closer. A feeling of dangerous hope started to rise in him.

As he kneeled down he knew he was undoubtedly looking at the face of his brother.

Perry.

* The book fills in the next part of when Perry Wakes up and ect.. I'm adding more to those brief scenes.

**Chapter 3**

**Perry...**

They were all surrounding a fire with some meat roasting over it.

Perry recognized the cooking smell of rabbit. But it could have been a magical rabbit because to his nose and empty stomach it smelled like the most delicious food on the planet. When everything moderately gets settled with the Tides and the Horns, all he was going to eat was rabbit, rabbit and rabbit.

But even though the roasting smell was strong he could still smell Roar and Soren's relief and happiness at seeing him alive. From the girl he smelled only apprehension and a mild curiosity.

"Thank you for the food." Perry said.

She didn't speak.

"Does this forest have good hunting?"

She still didn't speak

"This fire is good"

She didn't speak just looked from him to the fire and back.

Perry turned to Roar. Roar only grinned and gestured for Perry to continue. Perry sighed.

"I have to feed eight hundred people is there more than just small rabbits here?" Perry mentally kicked himself for given away their numbers to a stranger.

She began to chuckle and then that built into a full laugh. Which lead to a coughing fit. When her throat cleared she pointed to the fire. " Wood." she said. Then got up and left.

After a few minutes after she had left Soren spoke up, "She's from a pod."

Roar replied first, "Dwellers don't look like that and even if she was wouldn't a pod here have told all the other pods out there about it."

"Electronic magnetic storm blocks radio and really Roar, what's your first impression when you meet a dweller?" said Soren.

Roar looked at Perry. Then they both turned and said in unison, "Arrogance."

Soren shook his head, "The second thing."

"Fear." said Perry.

"Fine," said Soren," Your third impression would be a little bit of selfishness. No pod that's already in paradise would share its location asking the others to join."

"That wasn't my third." Perry replied.

"A Little?" said Roar.

Soren gave a happy sarcastic smile, "How I just jump to the part where you believe me?"

Perry and Roar didn't speak they just waited.

"It's amazing how you guys treat my intelligents."

Roar replied, "Didn't know you were smart enough to notice that."

"Well you-""Enough," , interrupted Perry. "Speak."

"Yes master,", Soren said with a dramatic hand bow.

"She's a dweller", he said using their term dweller," because only dwellers know that line from a story so old that it's absolutely ridicules that it's still told to children."

"What's the story?" asked Roar.

"It's about a girl dressed in red who travels to see her Grandmother who was actually eaten by a wolf that dressed as the girls Grandmother to fool the girl into believing he's her Grandmother so he can eat her."

Nobody spoke.

Perry laughed.

Roar was laughing as well and said, "What an intelligent story Soren."

**Chapter 4**

**Roar...**

When she came back with more wood her breathing was a little too deep and a little too quick. Like the effort of getting wood had exhausted her.

She dropped to her knees next to the fire.

Roar exchange glances with Perry.

"Are you alright?" asked Roar.

She began stacking the wood in the fire.

She worked on her breathing as she stacked the wood and had brought it back to normal.

Roar tried a different tack-tick.

"Soren." Roar said.

Soren had a mouth full of rabbit when he said, "Hm?"

"How are you?" Roar asked.

Soren all to ready to answer, "Well I haven't slept fully in two days, and of course we don't have anything to even 'Sleep On.' My teeth have TWO skins and I wonder if I'll ever see a hot shower in my life again." When Soren finished he looked up.

Roar and Perry had nothing but a frozen stare on their faces. Almost like boredom.

"But this food is great!" Soren said in true appreciation.

Roar looked at the girl. She was watching and listening.

This is what Roar was aiming for.

When he caught her eye he turned over to Perry. "What do you think 'her' name is Perry?"

Perry pretended to contemplate it a moment.

"It's... probably 'Maggie'. Like Maggs. She holds her tongue like an old woman."

Roar replied with a grin, "I think its 'Wolf Willa' and she's not talking to us because its not polite to play with your food before you eat it."

She rolled her eyes.

Soren piped up, "Well I think her name is-"

"Aether!" she said looking at Soren then the rest of them.

"What Aether? There's none here." Soren said.

The girl pointed at herself and repeated, "Aether."

Everybody exchanged looks and 'Aether' just looked between them and to the ground.

"Aether huh?" said Roar.

She nodded and said," How about-" her eye's looked up as if searching for words.

She went again, "How about- I- We-" she looked around as she finished, "have questions be our currency."

"We don't have money. And really, money probably won't be used for the next 300 hundred years or 500 hundred from the looks of how were doing."

She thought for a moment then shook her head," I will ask a question and you will answer. And then-" she paused thinking again, "You may ask a question in same value as mine and I will answer."

Roar looked at Perry. He nodded.

She held her hands up, "But- if the question has... too much value- I or you can refuse to answer. Or you could trade a high value question in return."

"Deal." said Perry.

Roar smiled as he asked quickly, "Do you like my teeth?"

"Um." she said a little startled. "That question doesn't have any value."

"So? You didn't say we couldn't ask an unvalued question."

"Is it important?"

"Is it?"

She thought a moment, "No."

Roar smiled

Then he stole a quick glance at Perry. He rubbed his thumb over his fingers. When they were kids Roar would look to Perry to see if someone was lying. If Perry was fidgeting in some way then that meant someone was lying. But as Roar grew older he learned to hear the person's heart skip a beat when they were telling the lie. He only looked at Perry to make sure he was healthy enough to smell the lie.

Roar wanted to try another one just to make sure he knew what her heart rhythm sounded like when she was lying. His next question was sure to get another lie form her due to her strong demeanor.

"Do I intimidate you?"

In an angry tone she said, "No."

Yeah, Roar could diffidently pick out her lies from the truth now.

"Ok your turn. Valued or unvalued, I'm ready." Roar said.

**Chapter 5**

**Aether...**

Aether was starting to get a little anxious with each one of the humans looking expectantly at her for her 'unvalued' questions. It was such a good idea she had about the questioning but that- that tall panther -Roar they called him, was starting to irritate her.

"Can't think of one? Want me to go again?"

And wait for another question like the one he just asked? No. She thought. But she couldn't think of a single unvalued question with them all looking at her waiting.

She nodded at Roar.

"Hmm." said Roar. Then he spoke slowly, "How about- how long has it been since you spoke to someone?"

"Living or dead?"

That complaining one called Soren choked a little on his meat.

The playfulness left Roar's face. His look turned sober as he gently replied, "Living."

Aether thought a moment before she replied "It has been five winters."

They all stared at her.

Especially Roar.

A ridiculous anxiousness was rising in her throat. This was absurd. Why were they acting the way they were? Why was she even anxious at all? She asked in anger, "What are you all doing on my land?"

"Your land?" said the green jewel eyed one called Perry.

Aether replied, "Yes. My. Land."

"Are you a Blood Lord?" Soren asked.

Aether closed her eyes in irritation. She didn't know what a Blood Lord was but it didn't sound too important. He's probably asking if she eats blood or something.

"Do you have any value questions to ask me?" Aether replied.

Perry asked, "How'd you get this land?"

"From my Mother." she said looking approvingly a Perry. "Now answer my question."

"Our land has been burned up by the ...Aether. This place does not have the storms that overtook our skies. So we can more than survive here...we can live."

Aether nodded. She too had once lived on the other side where the Aether reaches every sky.

Roar leaned close to the fire looking at her.

"Who is your Mother?"

Now that was a valued question Aether thought.

"I'm a little like my Mother."

"And...?"

"And we are creatures."

**Chapter 6**

**Roar...**

"How so?" asked Roar.

"I don't understand." She replied

"Huh?"

"I don't know how to answer your question I think."

"What kind of creatures are you?"

Aether stated plainly, "That question is too broad and I don't what to try an answer it."

Roar gave a tired sigh, "You look human to me."

"Yeah beside's everything about her that _doesn't_." Soren interjected.

"How dare you." Aether said in all seriousness.

Both Roar and Soren looked up but she was looking at Roar.

"I do not look like a human. And all though there are similarities and my origins are the result of those similarity's. I most certainly am not a human. Not anymore anyway."

Roar saw this as a perfect opportunity to get more information about her. People give up a lot of useful information when their pride looks damaged and when they rush to defend it. Later he'd find out why his comment insulted her but for now he needed her to talk about this family of hers. And what so irritates her about humans, after all she is one in fact. A uniquely pretty looking one in fact.

Roar shook his head and got his focus again.

"Your looks say different."

"My looks are one of the many things that _say_ I am."

"Not to me." Roar spoke it in a way that offered no room for challenge.

She held his stare with irritation. But she seemed a loss for words to shoot back at him.

Perry spoke up, "Why are you called Aether?"

"My Mother gave it to me." She said with pride.

"Why did she pick that one?" Roar asked.

"That question is valued too high for you." then she added, "And it is my turn to ask a question."

Perry gave Roar a shove.

"Why were you separated from your pack?"

Roar figured she meant pack of humans. It took Perry a moment to come to the same conclusion as well.

"There is a hu- "Perry caught himself before he used her term for them, "there is a man there that tried to kill me...again. And if I don't stop him he'll get the whole tribe killed; both tribes."

She nodded like this was to be expected.

That irritated Roar.

"What was the name that your real mother gave you?"

"Real Mother..?"

"You know what I mean. You say some of the looks you have are a result from your origin. So this means I'm asking about your original unmistakable there at your birth kind of mother.

Aether scoffed. Then she spoke "She is not my 'Real Mother'. That- That..._Human... _banished me after all the torture and work she put me through!"

"Why?" Roar probed.

"You want to know why? I'll tell you why! And it has no value for me to tell you! I murdered my twin sister- Her favorite daughter Aria! Who wouldn't know how to shut up even if it saved her life; which it didn't."

Everybody except Aether held their breath.

"By your shocked face _Roar_ I can see your finally catching on. Yes I did do it. I slammed that spoiled brats head right into the wall. She wouldn't stop talking. 'Oh when will mom be back?' 'Why can't you go to the realms and play with me?' and then 'Oh I can't play here it's too boring and I look fat.'"

Aether smiled at her next words, "And that's when I decided to throw her face at the wall so it would be nice and thin and flat. Only it ended up being her head instead."

Soren, Roar and Perry all exchanged looks of bewilderment.

"There was so much blood then," Aether said as she gazed into the fire, "I didn't know she had so much. All I could think was all that red stuff... probably made her fat." She smiled.

Aether went on then with a bored tone, "I went to find Luminous. Not because I regretted what I did but because Aria was making a mess."

Roar could hear the lie in her heart beat.

She stood up. "I believe I have learned anything worth learning from you all in this time and now I take my leave." She walked out of the firelight.

Roar wanted to follow but he had enough on his mind.

He needed Sable out of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 7**

**Aether….**

Aether could feel her complaints coming back. She looked around for a suitable tree to sit and lean against. She walked to a tree a few feet away but before she sat she saw red ants scurrying back and forth through holes in the tree. She walked on in search of another tree which was just ahead. As she approached it she saw black dots begin to dance before her, and she felt a pull from her left side as if it was too heavy for her. Then she only saw sky before her that was as deep as looking up from an ocean floor. She had fallen she realized. The uneven heaviness she had felt was her losing her balance. But no matter she thought, at least she wasn't laying paralyzed near that ant tree. With fire ants crawling in places she didn't want to think about. The only positive thing that she had discovered that she got out of these little body malfunction episodes, was the magnificent feeling of flying. She'd feel weightless and in any direction she looked she felt like her body was floating toward it.

Of course she was laying paralyzed on the ground out in the open which was fine because no one was in this whole land but her. And because of that she let the dizziness take her into that weightless feeling. She tested to see if she could hold her hand in front of her and she could. The only think she felt from it was a heaviness, other than that it was completely foreign to her. Touching her thumb to her finger she felt nothing. It was interesting to command one's ligaments and see it move as you thought while not feeling a thing.

She let her hand down and it flopped onto the ground.

She started to drift asleep when she heard a rustling with leaves crunching on the ground near her.

She lazily opened her eye's thinking it was most likely a rabbit. But when she turned her head to her side, she saw something much bigger standing still with no movement looking in her direction. It was tall and brown.

The humans! She had momentarily for gotten them in her dizzy spell and one was now before her frozen and watching her. She tried to sit up but her whole chest and shoulders felt heavier than she knew they were.

The object in her vision started to come closer. Terror over came her. She was completely helpless.

Even through her body was still dysfunctional her vision started to lose its fuzziness and the true object she saw before her was a deer.

She sighed such relief. She was alone and safe.

The deer didn't come any closer. It just continued its slow walk probing the ground for food up farther ahead.

Aether began to think about a solution to her vulnerability now that there were newcomers near. She could move deeper inland but that would be too much work and would take months. She could hardly go two days without her complaints showing up and it was getting worse each year she helped her mother. Thankfully she had only one more year to give to her mother then maybe just maybe her weakness would begin to fade. But she needed a to think of a solution now that would help her get through to that year.

A shuttle.

The foreigners had shuttles.

And they had a lot of them. And that green eyed man… she couldn't remember his name, had said they were starving or at least in need of some easy plentiful food. She knew just the thing.

But how would she explain to her mother how she got the shuttle?

Her mother would understand. All of her weaknesses were due to the fact of all the work she did for her mother. All that mining for the useless diamonds and rubies that Aether had collected and would work so painfully hard to make them into such bright, powerful tools for her. If her mother did ask she could say it was to protect herself in her weak moments from an animal coming by and eating her, most of the time she made herself smell like the forest and the animals would pass. But sometimes not. That's why she always had a knife tied to her right hand for the moment she could move and spring into action. But there was no need to mention the new settlers to her mother. Aether didn't care for them, she just didn't want her mother to bring her rage upon the settlers and the land.

But how to explain where she got the shuttle?

It didn't matter anyway. Mother didn't come inside the land… usually.

**Chapter 8**

**Aria… **

"Do you have a sister?"

They were all sitting around the embers of a fire from the previous night of celebration for having finished building up a few houses. And for celebration because of the sake of just being under a forever sky.

"What?" Aria said. She had been looking at her father's back listening in on his conversation with one of the council members when Perry's voice had broken through.

"I think you heard me." Perry said.

"No." Aria replied and tried to focus in on the conversation that was only half a mile away from her.

"You're sure?" Perry said.

Roar then slapped his hands together very hard.

The sound caused Aria head to jerk, "OUCH Roar!"

"It isn't polite to insult people's intelligents by so obviously showing your eavesdropping." Roar said.

"So what's the question? A sister? No. Why? Did you see someone that looked like me?"

Roar scoffed, "No."

Perry didn't smell any lie just irritation and he sensed her new found father was the cause.

"Well," Perry said, "We ran into someone before we came back to camp and stopped Sable. She talked about her mother being Luminous and a girl named Aria being her sister. But she must know you by other means?"

Aria stared at Perry unblinkingly.

"Care to revise your statement there sister?" Roar said leaning in.

"I do have a sister." Aria said.

"But you just-"

"I mean I did have a sister at one point but she almost got me killed a number of times. Then I was waking up from a head injure she gave me and mom said that she had died from a sickness and that we weren't allowed to talk about it because it might cause a panic in the pod."

Aria paused before she continued, "I haven't thought about her in so long."

That's why Perry didn't smell anything, because if she believed it then it was true for her.

"This is impossible." But Aria couldn't help asking, " What did she look like?"

Roar spoke softly, "Her right eye is yellow and her left eye is the lightest brown I've ever seen."

There was silence while Aria thought. From what little she could remember her sister's eye's had been the same color but an unnatural color. "It might be her." If it was then how?

"Her who?" Loran asked as he took a seat next to Aria.

Aria scoffed, "Just some girl. You were listening."

"Some bits and pieces. A lot better then you were."

Aria looked away embarrassed.

Arai said, "It seems I've found another relative. A sister."

"Your mother found love again?"

"No." Aria replied, "She gave birth to twins."

Loran looked at Aria in bewilderment.

Quietly he asked, "Why didn't you tell me I had another Daughter?"

"Because you didn't even care about the daughter you already knew about."

Loren just looked at her for a moment with serious eye's that held hurt in them. He looked away from her and towards the ocean.

Aria knew what she said was true but that didn't make her feel any less guilty. That was the past. She quickly started speaking, "I'm sorry, Luminous gave birth to two children who were that were twins. She was born first then I came two minutes later. I only saw her once a week for eight years."

"Why?" Perry asked.

"Experiments. I use to think that my singing was written in my DNA because that's what my mother enjoyed and sometimes…well I use to hate that what I was made for was to be for her standards but I was wrong." Aria glanced at Loran before continuing. "Well I guess I know now she wasn't really one to follow procedure. Well anyway mother did alter my sisters DNA but she told me that it was because she wanted her to be born protected from a secret disease that was in the pod and that if I didn't want to put everyone's life in jeopardy I'd keep it a secret forever. I now know she was referring to what Soren had."

"Why didn't Luminous make genetic alterations for you as she had done for your sister?" Loran asked.

"I had asked her the same question, she had said I was a special surprise to her and when she had discovered me it was too late for her to change anything. My sister and I were-are twins. Fraternal twins I that is."

"What does Fraternal mean?" Perry said.

"It basically means that we are twins but were different in looks and likes. And she's-"

Roar interrupted her in an irritated tone, "She She She, when are you going to use her name?"

Aria paused thinking.

"Did you forget?" Roar asked.

"No… it's just that when Mom told me she died she also told me that it was disrespectful to say the name of the person who died. This came from the aboriginal culture, when someone dies in their culture you can never say their name again. Mom was very much into culture's I think because she does not know her own original culture so she adopted the ones she liked and as many as she liked. I eventually grew out of the habit because I thought it was silly since in my history class we do nothing but talk about dead people. It's just weird…," Aria looked away at the sea before she continued," My mother picked a name from another dead culture named the Celt's, Ashalind, which is Celtic for some girl who lived on their island Scotland and met a sea horses that took her away and ate everything but her liver or something like that. Or maybe it was the story about the girl who paid for a waterhorses freedom and the waterhorse in return granted her ride into the depths of the ocean and she was never heard from again."

Loran stood and left.

Aria waited a moment before continuing, "Well anyway my mom had a knack for things that had meanings to them, no matter how odd sometimes."

"Wow," Soren said as he took Loran's seat on the log, "what an affectionate story. Let me guess your secret story, let see… a giant captures you to squeeze the jelly from your eye's to have on toast but you sang so well that he imprisoned you in a golden harp?"

"You were named after a giants meal Aria?" Brooke asked her as she took a seat next to Soren.

Aria just looked down shaking her head with a smile.

"Who are we talking about?" asked Soren

"Wait I thought we were talking about Aria?" Brooke said.

Perry spoke up, "The three of us were having a private conversation that might border along the lines of council business and best be kept at that."

Soren replied, "Well if I had the ear's of a rat I'd say every 'Audio' person heard every detail."

"Hey and since when am I excluded from dirty details in this group?" Brooke added.

"Since you've been cozying up next to the livestock." Roar said with a smile.

Brooke gave him a punch in the shoulder, "That doesn't mean I'm Mule head."

Soren held his hands out, "I'm right here you know."

"Yep, and I wouldn't want you anywhere else." Brooke said as she placed her arm on his shoulder.

"Yeah," , Soren sighed as he wrapped his arm around Brooke, "where would this group be without the strong handsome funny guy."

"That position has been filled my friend." Roar said.

Perry replied, "I thought that was my position?"

He looked to Aria who shook her head no.

"Bone dry and boring is still open Soren." Aria said but he was no longer paying attention as him and Brooke were making out at the moment. Aria rolled her eyes and her, Roar and Perry took their leave.

**Chapter 9**

**Aether…**

Aether was in the human's camp.

It had taken her a slow pace all morning to be brave enough to leave the tree's and now to be standing next to some boulders while people brushed about. She had her hair covered up in a cloth and when someone would look her way she would glance somewhere else.

'How am I supposed to find the green eyed leader in these mass numbers?' she thought to herself.

People were walking here and there, collecting wood for building and for burning and some were knotting forest vines into rope while children were twirling them.

'There are children.' Aether thought in awe.

When she had been at her pod she had never seen people coming together in groups ever, especially children. The only other child she knew was her sister Aria. And Aria liked most of her time spent in the realms. Aether had only been with two doctors at the most in a single room and one was always her mother. The last time she was with a group large then two it was outside the safety of the pod. A village more developed then this one. It was far from here across the mountains and that was were her shuttle had crashed. Where a mob had engulfed her…

Aether began to go back to the trees-'No!' she told herself. She took her paces back next to the huge boulders. 'Breathe.' She told herself. 'This is simple.' Her breathing did not slow. 'Come, make the deal and leave. Come, make the deal and leave. Come, make the deal and leave. Come, make the deal and leave. Come- 'Her thoughts cleared when she saw a familiar profile. There was smooth black hair and was that? No it couldn't be…

She was immovable as she stared at the figure. Then the profile turned quickly out of the sun towards her and Aether just as quickly ducked into a crouch behind the boulder. 'What unbelievable fortune.' She thought to herself dryly.

Her fear of the crowd momentarily forgotten at this new predicament, she began to rise a little and see if the ghost had vanished and it had.

She sighed loudly as she leaned against the rock with her eye's closed in relief.

"How long have you been here?" a whisper said so close to her that it blew air into her ear.

She gasped and became only reaction as she gave a hook to the man's chin.

"Easy there". He took a few steps back rubbing his chin and said, "Hmm not quite enough to bruise but enough to feel the pop."

It was that clever-tongued-panther who she first met along with those other humans.

He was looking at her. She wasn't quite sure what was supposed to happen next for these kinds of instant interactions. Did he require and apology? Well he wasn't getting one. How had he gotten so close to her without making a single sound in the first place?

"How's that wild forest life treating you these days?" he said smiling with an eyebrow up.

And what does that mean?

His sighed and came toward her, "Sorry about your hand," he reached for her hand, "let me look at it."

She pulled her hand to her, "No. I'm looking for your Master?"

"Master?" He asked with his eyebrows up high and a small grin starting in the corner of his mouth.

What had she said? "He had green eyes and his name is… Merry. He's the leader."

"Oh!" He exclaimed, "Merry is in that direction."He pointed toward the shuttles near the beach. "I can take you straight to him if you'd like."

"That's unnecessary." She turned and started heading in that direction.

He joined right beside her.

She tried to remember his name. She knew it had something to do with sound. She knew it was either a type of expression or was it a type of shout. 'Was it Roar?' she thought.

Then something clicked.

She asked honestly, "Are you hearing alright?" it would explain his behavior some of the time if he was hard of hearing.

He stared at her.

Then he looked ahead and just said, "No."

She sighed as they walked on. Then her eyes began to wonder around at all the activity. It's not a wonder she didn't really attract attention to herself, all the newcomers were busy building things. She knew that would change if she didn't have her hair wrapped up, covered and her eye's catching anyone else's.

She observed the activity as they made their way toward the shuttles. The newcomers were carrying wood from the jungle and placing them at the feet of others in piles. Some went right to a place over to another clearing where they seemed to be trying to make a huge floor, one that might become one large roof when it's complete. Wood that was being taken to the left was set at a carver's feet. What he seemed to be using to carve the wood was a medium size shrapnel that appeared to have once been part of a ship.

There were so many people busy collecting, making or distributing. There were others digging and others just sitting staring at the sky. They were looking with such intensity that Aether looked to see what they were looking at. This caused her to bump into someone.

"Oh sorry miss I-", he broke off mid sentence when he saw her eyes, and instead asked, "What-"

Aether moved around him and kept walking. When she looked back to see what the man was doing she instead saw Roar watching her. She kept her gaze forward for the rest of the walk.

**Chapter 10**

**Perry…**

Perry was leaning against the shuttle waiting for Aria and the council to finish their meeting. He had his eyes closed but he could still see the bright light of the sun through his eye lids. And he could feel the sun's light warm him all over. It was nice that he wasn't responsible for big decisions anymore. Who would want to miss such a beautiful day? And if Aria would just hurry up it wouldn't just be a beautiful day it'd be paradise.

Perry caught a smell that reminded him of Cider.

"Hey Master Merry!" Roar shouted.

What?

Perry opened his eyes to see Roar walking toward him.

With Aria's sister.

And Aria was in the shuttle behind him.

Whether this was a bad or good thing he wasn't sure but his gut made him lean more towards the bad.


End file.
